Prologue

'Where am I?'

These were the first thoughts that crossed her mind as she looked around her. It was empty. No matter where she looked, she could see nothing.

'Where am I?' She thought, trying to remember. Nothing came up in her memories. The fact that she felt apathetic in this situation should worry her, but she simply brushed it off. She looked around her surroundings again, her eyes searching. What was she searching for? She couldn't remember, but she knew she had to find what it is.

And then she heard it. A faint sobbing. It was a sound so full of pain she felt her eyes water. It felt like it was her sadness and not just the other person's grief. Her feet moved forward. She didn't understand it, but she knew she'd find what she was looking for if she follows that sound. It was still dark, but she can see a silhouette appearing just a few feet away.

She paused. A woman sat in front of her, her hands covering her face. Her whole body shuddered as she cried, and she can see her effort to drown out her sobs. As if sensing her presence, the woman looked up.

She was beautiful, she thought. Her raven hair flowed like an obsidian river around her lithe frame; it was long enough to pool on the ground around her. Her skin was unblemished and seemed to glow in the darkness, and her dress—an immaculate gown she can only see in movies and fashion shows—made her look like a princess. 'Or a powerful witch,' she thought as she eyed the deep red lipstick and the messy makeup. Even with dark blotches running down her face, she still looked ethereal.

Though she was beautiful, it was her eyes that made her pause. They were a stunning shade of blue, a shade she has never seen in her entire life. In her blatant staring, she almost missed the words that escaped the woman's lips.

"...help me. Please." She begged, her voice so soft and pained it tugged at her heart. She stared. What was she supposed to do? The woman reached out to her, her fingers brushing her hand. "I can't, I can't do this anymore. I'm so alone and scared and tired. I, I need your help."

The woman looked down, her shoulders slumping as if in defeat and her hands lying uselessly on her lap.

"Please."

It was so soft she thought she almost imagined it. Before she knew it, she found herself sitting in front of the woman, her cold hands in hers. 'I don't know her', her mind tried to tell her, but she blocked it out. This woman needed her. Somehow, it was the only important thing to consider.

"I'll help you."